Cato on Campus - What's New

Mississippi Drug War Blues�the Case of Cory Maye

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:17:00 EDT

The latest Drew Carey Project video for reason.tv tells "a story about the intersection of race, the war on drugs, the disturbing increase in the militarization of police tactics, and systemic flaws in the criminal justice system. It is a tragedy in which one man is dead and another may spend his life in prison without possibility of parole."

The Bastiat Prize for Journalism

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:42:00 EDT

"The prize was developed to encourage and reward writers whose published works promote the institutions of a free society: limited government, rule of law brokered by an independent judiciary, protection of private property, free markets, free speech, and sound science."

American Idol and Poverty

Tue, 06 May 2008 18:10:00 EDT

Ed Crane, President of the Cato Institute, suggests that celebrities take a good look at how to help the poor of the world create their own wealth.

Fairness, Idealism and Other Atrocities

Mon, 05 May 2008 11:38:00 EDT

By P.J. O'Rourke: "Well, here you are at your college graduation. And I know what you're thinking: 'Gimme the sheepskin and get me outta here!' But not so fast. First you have to listen to a commencement speech."

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, Hounded to Death

Fri, 02 May 2008 09:32:00 EDT

By David Boaz: "Faced with the prospect of years in prison, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, known as the �D.C. Madam,� committed suicide on Thursday. Her pursuers and prosecutors should be ashamed of themselves."

Battle Over Eminent Domain Is Another Civil Rights Issue

Thu, 01 May 2008 14:06:00 EDT

By David T. Beito and Ilya Somin: "Few policies have done more to destroy community and opportunity for minorities than eminent domain. Some 3 to 4 million Americans, most of them ethnic minorities, have been forcibly displaced from their homes as a result of urban renewal takings since World War II."

An Elephant Never Forgets?

Thu, 01 May 2008 10:03:00 EDT

By Tim Lee: "Transparency is an important tool for limited government. Senior administration officials are more likely to behave themselves if they know their correspondence is subject to subpoena and will be available for the scrutiny of future historians. It�s therefore troubling that for most of the last 8 years, the Bush administration has failed to have an automated system in place for complying with the law as his predecessor did."

Bernstein on the History of Trade

Thu, 01 May 2008 09:18:00 EDT

"William Bernstein talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the history of trade. Drawing on the insights from his recent book, A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World, Bernstein talks about the magic of spices, how trade in sugar explain why Jews ended up in Manhattan, the real political economy of the Boston Tea Party and the demise of the Corn Laws in England."

The Libertarian Voter

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:21:00 EDT

By David Boaz: "Libertarian voters played a big role in swinging control of Congress to the Democrats in 2006. Could Mr. Obama hold them against Arizona Sen. John McCain? While base voters still voted along party lines in 2006, Republicans lost big among independents. According to an analysis that David Kirby and I did, libertarians may be the largest bloc of such independent-minded swing voters."

America on drugs

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:14:00 EDT

"In the Los Angeles Times, Jacob Sullum debates Cully Stimson about drug policy in a back-and-forth argument that's wraps up today."

Milton Friedman Prize Selection Committee Member Arrested

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:54:00 EDT

The Ugandan government has arrested Andrew Mwenda, a member of the 2008 International Selection Committee for the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, along with his fellow journalists Odobo Bichachi and John Njoroge. Andrew Mwenda is a brave journalist who tells it like he sees it. He is well known for standing up for the rights of others; his involvement in the Milton Friedman Prize is only one element of his long commitment to human rights.

Venezuelan Student Movement Leader Awarded $500,000 Milton Friedman Liberty Prize

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:02:00 EDT

Yon Goicoechea, leader of the pro-democracy student movement in Venezuela, has been awarded the 2008 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty. Under Goicoechea's leadership, the student movement organized mass opposition to the erosion of human and civil rights in Venezuela and played the key role in defeating Hugo Ch�vez's bid for a constitutional reform that would have turned the country into a dictatorship.

Employers Must Pull the Trigger

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:03:00 EDT

By Robert A. Levy: "The owner of the property should be able to determine � for good reasons, bad reasons, or no reason at all � whether to admit gun owners, non-gun owners, neither or both. Customers, employees and guests who object may go elsewhere. That's the controlling principle."

Profit: Not Just a Motive

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:57:00 EDT

By Steve Horwitz: This article "explores the problems with the frequent argument on the left that we should 'take the profit motive out' of various activities and industries, especially health care."

Laissez Faire Books

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT

"The International Society for Individual Liberty is pleased to be the new sponsor of Laissez Faire Books. For three decades LFB has been a prime source for libertarian educational material. We intended to continue, and expand, that tradition."

LFB.org is the online clearinghouse of important libertarian works, both classical texts and new releases.

Bail Bondsmen, Bounty Hunters and Private Prisons

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:21:00 EDT

"America�s free enterprise system is at work in many aspects of the criminal justice system. Profit-making bail bondsmen who help defendants post the money needed for their freedom pending trial are common in the U.S. but virtually unheard of across the rest of the world. Bounty hunters lured by big payouts find criminals who have previously eluded the police. And private companies are building and operating prisons and detention facilities."

Roberts on the Least Pleasant Jobs

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:33:00 EDT

"EconTalk host Russ Roberts talks about the claim that for capitalism to succeed there have to be people at the bottom to do the unpleasant tasks and that the rich thrive because of the suffering of those at the bottom. He critiques the idea that capitalism is a zero sum game where to get ahead, someone has to fall back. He also looks at the evolution of the least pleasant jobs over time and how technology interacts with rising productivity to make the least pleasant jobs more pleasant."

Fuel vs. Food

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:04:00 EDT

By Indur M. Goklany: "In recent years, we've heard that climate change could be catastrophic for nature and humanity. But it's becoming increasingly evident that over the next few decades, climate-change policies could prove even more catastrophic."

Cato.ru Launches Russian Essay Contest

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:08:00 EDT

Cato.Ru launches an essay contest for students and recent graduates. Participants are invited to submit their essays on various problems in the area of property rights. Essays must be submitted in Russian (NO English submissions accepted).

Free Trade, Free Markets: Rating Congress

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:33:00 EDT

This interactive web site allows users to examine how Congress and its individual members have voted over the years on bills and amendments affecting the freedom of Americans to trade and invest in the global economy.

The Dance, Dance Revolution Will Be Televised After All

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:19:00 EDT

By Julian Sanchez: "The plan had been to celebrate the birth of the author of the Declaration of Independence by congregating, flashmob style, for ten minutes of quiet iPod-fueled dancing, then repair to a pub nearby. Instead, park police brought the party to an abrupt halt, arresting 28-year-old Brooke Oberwetter and leading her away in handcuffs, while chasing the rest of the group off."

Freedom's Campaign in the 21st Century

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:38:00 EDT

Would you like to meet like-minded people from all over the world? Or have a spectacular vacation while sharing ideas on how freedom will be advanced, enhanced, and defended? If so, Cato University is definitely for you.

The Biofuel Brew Ha-Ha

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:58:00 EDT

By Peter Suderman: Reason contributor Peter Suderman writes that the biofuels craze is boosting the price of beer, because farmers are shifting away from barley to biofuel crops made more lucrative by mandates and subsidies.

Politics & 'Involvement'

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:25:00 EDT

By Donald J. Boudreaux: "It's a mistake to applaud greater involvement in politics as if such involvement is by its very nature the best use of people's time and effort. A more serious delusion is that politics is the only -- or, at least, the most noble -- venue for each of us to get "involved" with our fellow humans."

Inequality and Excess

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:47:00 EDT

By Arnold Kling: "What the American people really should feel awkward and defensive about is the level of inequality and excess of political power. Instead of asking ourselves what we can do about Warren Buffett or Bill Gates, we should be asking ourselves about what we can do about the Clintons and the Spitzers. Those who want more and more power should be our biggest concern."